Do you still buy used CDs?

3) Order a used copy for $7 shipped

mostly this, except sometimes they have those "new" copies that like have a crack in the case? but you can get them for like $4. yup.

click "More..." at the top right of this page, then "New Poll"...

yeah you can get great deals on used cds now

(3) for me...

CD bubble really seems to have burst...

(was there ever really a CD bubble?)

I buy used CDs regularly to complete my collection (e.g. this band's albums are all out of print and I missed two)

i'm gonna sell all my CDs except for the ones i have some nostalgic attachment to and i don't think i'll buy many others except for cds not available on lp where it's something i really love and i want to support the artist financially. i used to have 1200 cds and i think via paring down my collection i have fewer than 300 now.

i'm kind of like that with most music now. my nightmare life is to end up living in a space looking like something from that german dj living room thread.

that's my dream life

Sure. There are some serious bargains out there. As long as I keep buying CDs new and used are both rad.

3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3.

still finding good things out there.

i would buy more used cds.
but all the shops in my vicinity have gone out of business.

Er, what about option # 5?

5) Go to a thrift store. Buy a used CD, or two, or more, for $2 each. (Easier now than ever before.)

Rolling "I'd Buy That for a Dollar!" Thread 2008

I bought the Mika Miko CD used off Amazon today for $7.

most of the used cds i get off amazon marketplace the shipping ($2.85 last i checked) costs more than the cd. and i'm not talking just obscuro stuff. i'm digitizing like mad, gotta make an amoeba run. i wonder why i still buy them.

Yes, plenty of them via Amazon sellers, and plenty of new ones too.

I buy way more used CDs than new ones - ditto vinyl - but I get sent a lot of new releases. I've never become specifically less attracted to CDs but have to get going with the purge as it stands cos there is no room for another set of shelves in here

i'm sure I'll still buy a cd here or there but I think I've only bought two this year, and I'm getting rid of about 600 as soon as possible. the market on these flatlined a year ago at least except for collector's items (rare pressings, mfsl gold cds, things that are still out of print, limited indie releases, etc...where even if it's available on p2p or something, demand for the actual artifact is high). even those aren't moving as quickly as I'd expect on amazon though. anyway, one thing that pulling half or more of my collection out has made me do is appreciate the cds I've actually kept; it actually makes it easier to find things now.

^^^

it was like, "wow, now that I don't have 35 fall cds, I remember that I really like these 10"

anyway, one thing that pulling half or more of my collection out has made me do is appreciate the cds I've actually kept; it actually makes it easier to find things now.

UH

ALPHABETIZE

I'm in Tokyo right now and the Book Off chain is a haven for used cd's. For a supposedly sane person, I spend far too much time browsing in that shop. I've picked up some ridiculous bargains recently - e.g. the 'Relics' Transmat comp for 500yen ($5 ~) and the Warp Remixes 2cd for 250yen! So yeah, I still buy used cd's.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1077/1483025614_024452dbc1_m.jpg

They also have a sister chain called Hard Off - but that's another story...

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y215/turky_ii/ii/hardoff_1.jpg

i can't bring myself to buy secondhand cds anymore - the only exceptions would be totally out of print late 80s/early 90s aussie stuff and it's not like that happens often anyway.

i would do 2) or (more likely) go without entirely

i mostly buy used cds these days. mostly.

as the suckers of the world digitize everything (hope your hard drive/mp3 player doesn't fail!) and sell it i've been finding more great stuff on cd for cheap than ever.

OTM!

The issues with buying used CDs is that:

- You're not supporting the artist
- After the acquisition, you're stuck with another piece of plastic to account for

The best option right now is to d/l from Amazon.

^this

also even if i back up everything to within an inch of their lives it will still take up less space than all my discs

whiney & hawkwind: send me wants lists :)

- You're not supporting the artist

true, but presumably someone has already bought the cd once. if the original owner doesn't need it anymore, surely it's a good thing for the artist that other people are discovering their music...

- After the acquisition, you're stuck with another piece of plastic to account for

i'm afraid i'd rather have a crappy piece of plastic than an infinitely more disposable mp3 that i'm tediously supposed to back up half a dozen times.

having said that, there is rather a lot of cd clutter in my room right now ;)

Most of the second-hand stuff I buy is deleted. I'll always get new if I can, at a reasonable price. I'd also much rather have a CD than an MP3.

There are quite a lot of current/recent CDs which I'm prepared to pick up if I see them going for £4 or thereabouts in MVE but I'm not willing to pay full whack for them. Also, anything that I know is deleted/otherwise hard to get I'll pick up if the price is reasonable.

But charging £20 for the 2CD Steinski retrospective in HMV is really trying it.

I've been meaning to ask the following question for a while but several searches turned up nothing. I'm assuming it's been answered ten times over so if someone can show me a relevant thread, much love.

Is it worthwhile to check on Amazon (or elsewhere) for the relative value/rarity of CDs before sending them off to the used CD store? I know you should avoid a single seller offering, to choose a specific example from a few years back, Big Stick: Pro Drag for $50 (currently at $4.90). But I've already looked up on Amazon a few CDs I want to get rid off and several different sellers are offering them for pretty high prices.

And by "worthwhile," I mean not only trade/cash value. Is it worth the time involved in researching all of this and/or the potential haggling with used record store employees?

But charging £20 for the 2CD Steinski retrospective in HMV is really trying it.

whoa.
order direct from the label dingbod, the current exchange rate makes it a much better option - and the label gets more.

Well, even on the HMV website it's only £13.99 so even with current business rates and shop rents I can't see how they can justify the mark-up.

I don't really like buying music via mail order but increasingly it looks the only way of doing it. The other one I saw in HMV this weekend was a Gary Burton reissue - Lofty Fake Anagram and A Genuine Tong Funeral on one CD - and my mouth watered but FIFTEEN QUID? No, pal, this is a tenner at the most. I'll wait until the sales.

What I do still like buying are used cassettes...get me in a charity shop with no CDs but rows and rows of tapes and I'll be in there all morning.

cassettes !
damn.
come round mine and you can have boxes of the buggers.

too far to walk at my age

though if that danse society cassette is there, as i have promised that to bimble.

xpost. understood. but genuine offer if ever in the west country.

Is it worthwhile to check on Amazon (or elsewhere) for the relative value/rarity of CDs before sending them off to the used CD store? I know you should avoid a single seller offering, to choose a specific example from a few years back, Big Stick: Pro Drag for $50 (currently at $4.90). But I've already looked up on Amazon a few CDs I want to get rid off and several different sellers are offering them for pretty high prices.

why not just sell them there yourself? it's easy enough to do. my rule is: if they don't go on amazon for over $8, it's not worth it, take it to Amoeba; because under $8 you wind up only profiting about $4 after shipping/fees/etc. But yes, Amazon is a pretty good guide in general. If there are hundreds of things on there going for .50 cents, then you can count on getting about that much in trade value; there is a glut of them on the used market.

I still buy used CDs -- not as often as I used to any more because I'm trying to stick to a budget (not having a proper job will do that to ya).

I love love LOVE the Book Off -- we used to have one in Vancouver, and I spent an awful lot of time there topping up my J-Pop collection...amazing how cheap some of it was, especially when you consider how much it would have cost to special order at one of the usual import stores. And when I was in Osaka a while back I dove into a place called Tsutuya, I believe...very similar to Book Off, if not affiliated.

That price for the Steinski is robbery - it's available here in Canada for $16.99...and if I'm doing my Cdn$ to UK£ calculation correctly, that's less than half the price the HMV is asking for in the UK...? Robbery.

You'd think that somewhere like Rough Trade or Sister Ray would stock it at a cheaper price but oh no, they're seriously going downhill, both of these shops.

I download a lot but haven't really slowed down my new and used CD purchases. I'd feel like a tool if I didn't put money into at least my top favorite artists, whether it be buying a CD after a show or new reissues.

I sure as hell won't be paying $1 a song for 256 kbps MP3s, screw that. With CDs I get full bandwidth and reliable backup storage. I also still like the experience of finding and buying an object. I can remember more things about the context surrounding the album purchase (when, where, what was happening in my life). Whereas with my MP3s I remember nothing.

You'd think that somewhere like Rough Trade or Sister Ray would stock it at a cheaper price but oh no, they're seriously going downhill, both of these shops.

ahh good to see they are going the "bristol way"
ie. this sounds like the same pattern i saw in several of the indie record shops in bristol, of which now there are : none.

Well, even on the HMV website it's only £13.99 so even with current business rates and shop rents I can't see how they can justify the mark-up.

VAT free!

in case anyone wants to buy any of the stuff I have on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/shops/index.html?ie=UTF8&sellerID=A1SRSD8I5CGKXS

I'll give a 10% ILXOR discount and sell to you outside of amazon. I'm desperately trying to get out of debt though so I can't knock any prices down much beyond the market rate.

I only buy band's CDs/tshirts from them on tour. Everything else is DL'd and backed up.

Found a list of CDs I bought used one day in 2003, paging through an old journal:

Tori Amos - Under The Pink - $6.95
Tori Amos - To Venus And Back - $6.95
Bright Eyes - Lifted - $12.99
Isis - Sgnl>05 EP - $4.95
The Roots - Phrenology - $9.99
Smashing Pumpkins - Pisces Iscariot - $2.95

loooooooool

(Not a bad haul for 7 years ago, I guess, really -- I sold the Bright Eyes, sold the Isis EP but eventually bought it again, and still have everything else.)

it's impossible to find used cds these days

I am lucky enough to have an Amoeba in the area = clearance section ahoy.

If you're ever in Sydney, Lawson's Records is easily the best for 2nd hand stuff...always seem to get great condition promo copies and generally cheap new releases. Picked up Deerhunters new cd for only $8, Jay Reatard singles album for $7, both in perfect condition and lots of other stuff that most record shops wouldn't have, let alone for so cheap.

i've gotten good stuff from there too, in fact that was probably the last place i bought a cd

(i was there in january)

I've had to limit myself to going once a month. It's so easy to spend at least $100 in one go there.....kinda glad it's such an inconspicuous place. Most people would just walk right past and go to the Red Eye records a few doors up. I will be very sad if Lawsons ever shuts down! Love all the vinyl on the wall and awesome dvd selection too.

instead of going to stores looking for used cd's, i just go into the closet where i keep all the boxes of cd's i've been meaning to sell for years but never got around to. i find all sorts of cool oddities and things i've always wanted to listen to in there. and they're free.

If it wasn't for Reckless here in Chicago I probably wouldn't buy used stuff anymore, not on any regular basis anyway.

The only kind of CDs I buy these days are used ones. I don't have the kind of cash to buy new ones and when I do I'd rather buy a vinyl with a DL ticket which is getting increasingly popular for new releases.

I only go to Lawsons a couple of times a year now, but their promo hook-ups used to be so good I would go every week

^^there was a store like this in melbs for a while, i got so used to $10 new releases i could never pay full price again

Whenever I am buying something that was released in the 90s, I tend to check used stores at first before I buy it new. This because used stores are generally loaded with 90s music.

Now that I am a consumer again, I plan on making more used CD purchases. I still like having something in my hands, not just files on a computer of iPod. Was never a vinyl junkie and since what vinyl I did own was destroyed in a basement flood several months back, I have less incentive to "collect." And while I shop on Amazon and eBay for used CDs, nothing beats visiting a store and browsing. I hope to do more of that, actually, starting this weekend!

Just got the following from Philadelphia Record Exchange for a bit more than $50:

The Celibate Rifles - Spaceman In A Satin Suit
Depeche Mode - Catching Up With Depeche Mode
Gang Of Four - Entertainment! & Yellow EP
Killdozer - Uncompromising War on Art Under the Dictatorship of the Proletariat
Lard - The Last Temptation Of Reid
Misery - The Early Years
NON - Children Of The Black Sun
TV On The Radio - Dear Science

Celibate Rifles I heard a lot about but don't have anything by them. Now I do!

Depeche Mode got mostly for the wifey, it beat out the double CD comp from later years because I like the earlier stuff better.

Gang Of Four came up in a thread here recently when I listened to a bargain bin CD of theirs that wasn't very good ("Mall"). Others here recommended this one and there is was, nice and cheap! Serendipity!

Love Killdozer and don't think I have this one (though if I do, it wouldn't surprise me; I recently bought a Melt Banana CD that I already owned.)

Lard replaced a vinyl copy that was destroyed when my LPs got trashed.

Misery was a cheap compilation of an era and I like albums like that to introduce me to a band. I probably should have had something by them by now anyway.

The NON caught my eye with the striking cover:

http://www.musica320.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/nonon.jpg

Did a quick search with my phone in the store and it sounded like something I might like so I took a flyer on it.

I was shocked that I never got the last TV On The Radio because I had their earlier stuff and love the band so this allowed me to catch up nice and cheap. Listening now, mentally preparing for a new one in a few months.

Anyone else have any used CD store scores to share?

Man, Philly Rec-Ex might be fighting back, last time I was there they had the exact same CDs as a year or more before. The guy who worked there was playing stuff from Mutant Sounds off of the computer, which is great, but they didn't have anything in that vein in the store at all. It was a bummer.

I will never tire of flicking through racks of cd's in musty secondhand record shops. So yes, I still buy cd's. As people digitise collections and sell off their old music, I don't think there's been a better time for picking up old cd's.

Tokyo is fantastic for used cd's and I've picked up a shitload of stuff over the last two years. I rarely spend more than 500 yen for an album ($6).

Here are some recent purchases (all ¥500 ~):

Madlib - Remixes2
Organized Konfusion - The Equinox
Supersilent 6
Monolake - Cinemascape
Psyche/BFC - Elements
Vladislav Delay - The Four Quarters
Jeff Mills - Mix Up Vol.2 (aka Live at the Liquid Rooms)
Grooverider - Hardstep Selection Volume 1
Future Sound of London - Acelerator
Kode9 - DJ Kicks
Joe Henderson - Lush Life
Miles Davis - Nefertiti
Wire - Pink Flag remaster
Club Africa 2

I buy almost exclusively used CDs. usually from Amazon Marketplace.

After a string of slightly damaged used cd purchases, I've barely bought any in the past couple of years (Just such a pain in the ass to have to return them for me as that would mean I'd have to mail them back in most cases). So basically I buy only new CDs now. But because I'm paying new CD prices now, I only buy albums I've listened to first.

I have gotten three damaged cds in the last month, so that's understandable. kind of annoying, it isn't that difficult to test them first, and teh whole 'maybe it's your player' doesn't work when I try it on three different ones.

As people digitise collections and sell off their old music, I don't think there's been a better time for picking up old cd's.

^^ otm! i buy used cds all the time. love em. cheaper than buying digital or vinyl, plus it's just a blast to flip through used bins!

Went to visit Washington DC to help my family move and then see Agalloch in Baltimore. Spent the day in DC on Monday doing stuff with my kid and then hitting two record stores.

A friend suggested I try Crooked Beat Records though they were much more about vinyl than CDs. I did pick up a few things from the bargain bin:

David Barbe - Comet Of The Season
Sunns - Zeroes QC
Jonathan Richman - O Moon, Queen Of Night On Earth

Got the Barbee because the sticker said he was Sugar's bassist and I love Copper Blue. The other ones I had heard about and took a flyer on them for $3-4 each.

(I also picked up new CDs from Teen Idles and Earthride from the local section but they were not used!)

A little disheartened, I walked down the street to Smash Records, a place I used to go to back in the day (I went to HS in Northern Virginia) when their location was in Georgetown. Despite the new location, I was able to fill in some gaps in the collection here though only got a couple of "new to me" releases.

The gap-fillers include:

Prince - Dirty Mind
Operation Ivy - Operation Ivy
Big Black - The Rich Man's Eight Track
Wool - Budspawn
Naked Raygun - Understand?
Slick Rick - The Great Adventures of...
Soul Asylum - Hang Time

All of them were $5 or less except the Op Ivy which my 9-yeqar old son picked out and I got it for him (though I had recently lamented not having "The Crowd" on CD so it was a serrendipitous selection by the boy!).

I got the Soul Asylum directly because of a poll here on the Minneapolis scene that I started - I realized I don't have it (anymore?) so that, too, was a timely find. It is possible that I have the Naked Raygun and Big Black already... If so, eBay will be employed.

Finally, I picked up the remastered version of the 1970 Bloodrock CD. Never heard it but I like all those proto-metal, dumb rock bands of the early '70s and want to see how this one sounds.

I think anyone who goes out of town owes it to themselves to hit the local used CD and vinyl empioriums!